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Preserving and displaying antique books (long and rambling)
I think I mentioned this before, but my grandpa (the one who recently passed away) had a whole bunch of very old books that were his mother's and her mother's (my great-great grandmother) before him. Last weekend, my brother, cousin, and I split up the books and I came home with a box full of them.
I love them. They're awesome. I love books and I love history, so I'm really happy to get some of these. There's quite a variety -- quite a few textbooks, many novels, some reference books, music books, and a good chunk of them are in German. They range in age from 70-120 years old, with the majority being about 100 years old. Most of them are in relatively good condition, considering their age -- they've literally just been sitting in enclosed book cases at my grandpa's house for about 75 years now. Many of them are somewhat delicate though, and some have spines that are beginning to break.
But now I can't decide what to do with them. I want to showcase them, but I also want to be careful to preserve them, as well. I think these are my three options:
1) Keep them packed up in a box and stored to ensure that they stay safe and preserve their condition. But that's no fun.
2) Display them in the bookcases in our "computer room". This room is in our (finished) basement and has our computer (duh), a wall of bookcases where I store all of our other books, and a little reading corner. They would be pretty safe in this bookcase. They would not get direct sunlight and the room stays pretty cool because it's in our basement. My quick research on preserving books says that avoiding high temperatures and direct sunlight is important. The problem is that no one really sees this room except B and I, and so they wouldn't really be on display.
3) Purchase a new bookcase for our living room and display the books there. Even before getting these books, we've talked about getting a leaning bookshelf for our living room, because we have a good spot for it and it would just work well. This would be a great way to showcase the books and sort of use them as decoration. The problem is that they wouldn't be as well protected here -- the room gets warm in the summer and it's quite sunny too. And they would also probably be subject to more handling and possible abuse from cats (hopefully this wouldn't happen).
What do you guys think? Any thoughts? I guess I'm just looking for help thinking this through. My husband is fine with any of these alternatives.
Re: Preserving and displaying antique books (long and rambling)
I would probably not do option 1. It seems like the books' condition would further deteriorate if they were left boxed. Boxed items seem like they would eventually grow mildew and/or attract bugs and moths if left unattended. Not to mention what's the point of having the books if you are just going to store them away?
It sounds like you would enjoy the books most with option 3, so that's what I'd do. Even if it means the condition of the books would worsen, you'll see them everyday and be able to show them off and tell their story. Since the main value of the books is sentimental, I think it makes the most sense to put them where you'll most enjoy them. Is there a way you could put the new bookshelf in a less sunny spot in the room? Or could you buy a glass enclosed bookshelf to offer a bit more protection? Both of these suggestions would be sort of a middle ground with option 2.
The books sound very cool--what great heirlooms!
I say option three.
What about looking into that tinted window film for the windows that let sun in the direction of the book case. It might help a little.
#3 They would be great conversation pieces.
Maybe check with Redux Books on Lake to see if they can offer any advice on preservation/restoration.